Xatrix Security

[muto]

Much as I dislike Microsoft, and hate to defend them, bluescreens are no longer an issue. In 4 anda half years of my (now replaced) XP machine, I only ever got a handful of bluescreens, and they always come from one of three places: bad drivers, failing hardware, and doing stuff you shouldn't, by which I mean stuff like installing alpha drivers for hardware (including one to give you direct access to disks to try and get some old DOS data recovery tools running), and hotplugging IDE drives (Windows does not like this :>).

Vista got a bad rep for bluescreens because when it came out the drivers were terrible, and led to a lot of problems for people, but since then, there haven't been many problems. Two of the guys I work with have been using Windows 7 for the past 4 months or so (Beta->RC->RTM), and haven't had a single bluescreen on it in that time, which got an OS in the testing phase is pretty good.

If you take a look at Apple's history, they've 'copied' a good deal of stuff, including the idea to have a GUI (Xerox got their first), and the dock they like to boast so much about (NeXT and Sun Microsystems). Hell, the only way they got anything as stable as they have is by 'copying' a BSD core.

From the article, all it really says is that Microsoft is planning to open stores to sell its products, and you say this is 'copying' Apple? Were they the first people to ever have the idea of opening a shop to sell goods? Why exactly is it 'copying' for a massive, multinational company to decide to start selling directly, rather than through other stores?

[heebyjeebys]

apple got the dock from NExt .. correct.. but you forget that steve owns NExt

[Quaon]

Muto,

So your suggesting that Microsoft just happened to think of the same thing that their major competitor has been doing for years, and (in keeping with originality) is deciding to put those stores right next to said competitor? Alright, I would MAYBE buy that as good marketing (barely) if it wasn't for the fact that Microsoft loves nothing more than to copy Apple.

In Windows, Microsoft blatantly copied the 3-D Application Switcher, Spotlight Search, and iPhoto applications that were in Mac OS X and put them in Vista. Also, there were several emails from Microsoft executives in 2004 talking about how they were awed by the desktop search feature in OS X and how it would "very closely resemble" it's counterpart in Windows Vista. (http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197001418)

It also doesn't help that Microsoft hasn't been very sneaky in their theft of the iPod look for their Zune:


But lets look beyond Microsoft's plagiarist past, and to its copycat future! In Windows 7, Microsoft has taken many things in Mac OS X and called them "innovations". For instance:

-Improved taskbar and full-screen previews. Was already in Mac, now in Windows 7! Stolen!
-Extended battery life using adaptive display brightness. Has been in OS X, now in Windows 7! Stolen!
-"Windows Touch" interface. Included in iPhone touch, now in Windows 7! Stolen!
-Free-form Gadget Placement. A nice feature in OS X, now in Windows 7! Stolen!

The list goes on (http://www.smart-technology-guru.com/2009/01/microsoft-copies-apples-innovation-to.html)

Over it's past Windows has let out a few very nice things (Windows Movie Maker, Vista Calendar, and integrated Chess game) but a lot of them have been rip offs (iMovie, iCal, and integrated chess game respectively).

I could go on, but I digress. The point I am trying to make is that Microsoft has been stealing Apple's ideas and innovations for years. Every step of the way you can see the correlation between a feature in Apple's software, and a Windows rip-off soon following. It has been their motif, and will continue to be forever. So forgive me if I completely disagree with you Muto, Microsoft has stolen yet another idea, the Apple stores, and is making their own. It is a copy, there is no innovation.

Quaon

[heebyjeebys]

i agree
but i've gotta love thoes links


i will have enough for my own mac soon, and i can finally get away from a constantly crashing explorer

[Xcellerator]

It's true windows has it's flaws, but I am still one of those people who will be getting windows 7 as soon as it's out...

It looks quite good actually...

[cheesepuff]

xcellerator: that's not 7

[Xcellerator]

I've heard that in Windows 7, you can apply different layout type things, and this is one of them. I may be wrong but this is what I've read. You probably know a lot more than me because I know absolutely nothing about 7...

[heebyjeebys]

neither do i... did i mention that futurama was my favourite show? i have every episode except the films - which i can't afford right now

[Xcellerator]

ok... random...

'I prefer china teapots over heart-shaped moon cheese...'

BTW, Futurama rules, the 1st film is the only good one...

[Quaon]

Pay no attention to Heeby, hes trippin acid again.